20 August 2007

Cincinnatians on average dedicate 20 percent of their total household costs to getting to and from work, making the city the sixth most expensive in the nation for commuting, thanks in part to its lack of light rail and other mass transit systems.

The ranking comes from Forbes magazine, which based its information on a study by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, a nonprofit research firm that used 2003 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. According to the data, the annual delay per Cincinnati traveler is 30 hours.

Houston ranked as the most expensive commuting city, with travel taking up 20.9 percent of household costs. It was followed by Cleveland, Detroit, Tampa, Fla., and Kansas City, Mo.

Cincinnatians actually spend less than the national average on their commutes, Forbes reported, but it is still one-fifth of expenses